The Falcons capped off an undefeated campaign with a Division 2 national championship, beating West Texas A&M 73-65 in Friday's title game in Erie, Pa.

At the center of the remarkable run was the play of Fitchburg native Jacqui Brugliera, who was named the tournament MVP after leading the Falcons to the first national title in program history. The senior forward previously attended Applewild School in Fitchburg and Cushing Academy in Ashburnham, before transferring to Wachusett Regional in Holden as a high school junior.

"It's an unreal way to end it all," Brugliera said. "A teammate always said that she wanted her last game to be a win, and it happened, which is hard to do. Bentley's had so much success, but never reached winning a national title. To see all the alumni come out and support us, it was bigger than us and a really cool experience."

The Falcons went 35-0 this past season, and used a 19-5 run during the last three minutes of the West Texas A&M game to secure the championship. Brugliera shot 6 for 10 from the floor, posting 17 points and four rebounds.

"The championship was our toughest game of the year," Brugliera said. "We had a couple of close ones this year, beating Stonehill by five points, and against Assumption we were down at the half and then came back.

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But none was as tough as the championship."

Bentley has a rich history in basketball, with head coach Barbara Stevens -- a Southbridge native and former Clark University coach -- boasting more than 900 victories in her outstanding coaching career and winning 83 percent of her games at the school. During Brugliera's four years on the team, the Falcons made the NCAA Division 2 tournament three times, including previous a previous Final Four and another Elite Eight appearance.

The elusive title was the only thing yet to accomplish heading into this season, and team expectations and talent level made Bentley the favorite.

"We were supposed to make it all the way junior year, but we were beat at the buzzer by Dowling," Brugliera said. "We definitely had high expectations, from ourselves and everyone else this year. We were No. 1 in the nation from the preseason poll until the final game.

"We didn't handle the pressure that well in the past, but having seven seniors this year, we handled it a lot better. We played with less fear of losing and more determination to win."

Bentley cruised to double-digit victories in each of its first three tournament games, then fought off a tough challenge by Drury, 74-66, in the Elite Eight. A win over Cal Poly Pomona in the Final Four sent Bentley into the title game.

"Brugliera battled against a 6-foot, 7-inch player from Drury," Stevens said. "She battled a finalist for national player of the year in a 6-2 center from Cal Poly Pomona, who was an Arizona State transfer. In the championship game, she held one of West Texas' best post players to single digits and got her in foul trouble.

"She was so invaluable to our team this year. She might not be having a great scoring night, but when you look at number of charges taken, number of rebounds and defensive stops, there's no way we could've done this without her."

Brugliera was a key piece to the Falcons' puzzle from the beginning of her career, averaging 14.9 points and 8.6 rebounds per game as a freshman. She maintained a consistent average hovering around 11 points and six rebounds per game for the rest of her career, as the Falcons went 124-11 during her four-year career.

"We call (Brugliera) our warrior," Stevens said. "She suffered a number of injuries over her career, but she comes to play every single day and doesn't make excuses. She's played her last two years with nagging knee injuries, but that doesn't stop her from doing everything she can to help this team win. She hasn't been 100 percent healthy since her sophomore year."

As a senior at Wachusett Regional, Brugliera had plenty of opportunities at the college level. Most of the Division 1 offers came from Patriot League and Ivy League schools, she said, but she ended up choosing Bentley because its winning culture and overall atmosphere.

"Bentley has always had a great history of success, and (Stevens) is an amazing coach," Brugliera said. "After considering Division 1 schools, I wanted a better balance, because in Division 2 you don't have to live there in the summer, travel as far, or miss as much class. I also wanted to play for a championship, and this was the best fit to do that."

Brugliera is a marketing major and will graduate with honors in the spring. She plans to take little time off after graduation as she searches for a marketing position in the greater Boston area.

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